


Patet omnibus libertas

by draconianApathy



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Blood and Violence, Graphic descriptions of violence, Kissing, M/M, Not Really Character Death, again check the notes for more info, all the warnings are for the nightmare part btw, basically the character experiences that in a nightmare but he's alive and well, check the notes if you want to skip this first gruesome bit, there's remus but he's like mentioned once, this is part of an AU which is not mine
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-23
Updated: 2019-11-23
Packaged: 2021-02-25 22:54:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,872
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21533290
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/draconianApathy/pseuds/draconianApathy
Summary: Conflicted feelings in a time of disorientation. Virgil, a former Heretic, had been captured and is now back to his village, thanks to a … little deity’s will. Roman, the knight protector of that land, had been against his return since the beginning. Things of course change the more he gets attached to the boy and, with the help of poetry, things could finally bloom.
Relationships: Anxiety | Virgil Sanders/Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders
Comments: 5
Kudos: 57





	Patet omnibus libertas

**Author's Note:**

> As for the AU: the idea is not mine, but it all belongs to the wonderful artist @pistachiolan on tumblr! You can also find them with the same username on twitter or as @pistachio_lan on instagram (give them love, they're awesome)
> 
> Get ready for literary chronological discrepancies because I love quotes you can fight me. Okay I may or may not have added a bunch of ideas or details of mine for narration purposes oops– Anyhow, I had a lot of fun writing this so I hope you all enjoy it too! And sorry for that first weird bit but I wanted to see if I was able to write a gruesome scene. Don’t forget to check out @pistachiolan’s profile for their fantastically marvellous au which you can find in their blog under the #TsCultAu tag, I tell you guys, their idea is MINDBLOWING and the art is just as good and it’s so so so worth to follow (if you don’t you’re straight). So yeah, I’m here to fix their angst with some nice fluff (after some more angst), enjoy your time here~
> 
> If you want to skip the nightmare part, you can start reading at “Virgil surged up on his bed”

The first image of red Virgil noticed was a flash of light in the corner of his eye; something pressed hard against his back and forced his downfall to inexorably begin.

He crashed against the earth, his nails digging in the dirt as pain numbed his senses only to regain them again and devastate his perceiving.

Failing to get back on his feet he could only manage to roll on his back and be met with the worst fate he ever feared.

There Roman stood, in all the mighty glory Virgil had always pleasantly basked under. Looking down at him with a distasteful expression adorning his face.

And his hand ghosting over his weapon.

Virgil’s eyes widened, his fight or flight senses overproducing a shot of panic over his chest; he may have yelled, cried for someone’s name or help, but everything felt so _blurry_ and his limbs just _too heavy_.

It was as if he was … remembering instead of experiencing.

He remembered calling Remus’s name in vain, as he noticed his expression growing blank as though in a daze.

 _The twin binding._ A connection that messed with his mind so much that a simple hesitation caused by it could determine the adverse outcome of the Fates.

Time had slowed down, its passage becoming almost imperceptible.

« Die, you demon! »

And, when it started up again, it was no longer a memory.

Virgil sealed his eyes shut as Roman’s sword swung in his direction, wishing for some kind of invisible protection to be laid on him, or, even better, for _him_ to wake up and realize-

It was too late.

All lies, the ones that granted feasibility when you wished upon a star.

Nothing came for Virgil. Nothing but a steel blade slashing right through his body. His lungs filled with blood, the vermilion substance roughly rose up to his throat and stained his lips with doleful spatters, a trickle dripped down his chin and splattered against the fair skin of his hand.

He had … turned human again?

Virgil was hunched over himself, placing his hands on the exact meeting point between his chest and the sharpness of the sword. His hands were smeared with blood and red started being all he could feel and see around himself.

Just like that, Roman withdrew his sword only to dive back in and push the blade further in, tip protruding on the other side and loudly dripping with the same red vital fluid.

Virgil gasped for air that never came, instead, the void filled him, ready to take over what was soon to be his lifeless body.

Everything was red. His vision, his clothes, his skin. Roman.

Roman was red and he had learnt to love it.

Now Roman had caused that terrific madness of red all around them. Should he love that, too? Should he welcome it, at that point?

It was a tragedy that had made him delirious. Maybe he deserved that, he was sure the other would have agreed, rendered in that condition.

« You do. » venom words hit Virgil’s face as Roman leaned in, still pressing the weapon angrily against the boy’s chest.

 _What?_ He … wasn’t … talking?

« The ones of your likes, » he began, watching as more gushes of blood dirtied the grass and contrasted the white in his own clothes in an almost blinding manner. « Deserve to cease existing at once. »

Virgil hadn’t noticed Roman was now aiming at his heart. He didn’t mind anymore, as he had already broken it by tearing it apart for so long.

And, when the distance between the sword and the entrance to his heart coincided, Virgil closed his eyes and, to his destiny, he miserably resigned.

And he woke up.

Virgil surged up on his bed, breathing heavily in a way he couldn’t have done in the nightmare, as if he were regaining the air that had been neglected to his oniric self.

His trembling hands went at once to his chest were his untouched skin was covered by a layer of thin clothing, almost as white as his arms looked under the moonbeam.

 _Not real._ Virgil’s hands covered his eyes while he tried to steady his heartbeat.

_Nothing of that happened. It’s not real._

Time had passed before he decided to get up; who cares if they caught him awake at abominable hours and sent him suspicious glances. Ironically enough, he did need air.

Like an undead monster wounded by the bothersome hunter, Virgil dragged his feet against the cold pavement, a hand resting against the wall in support.

Adjusting to the darkness, he noticed the entrance to a room lit up in a faint warm colour. He knew he shouldn’t have approached, but it was far too early in the morning to make clever decisions.

Whispers came from the space. Virgil peeked for only an instant.

« What do we even need him for? » that was Roman’s voice.

Yeah, he really should have stepped away.

« Now, I’m sure there is a good reason for that. » Patton chimed in.

Virgil’s hand brushed the bricks of the entrance.

« We _know_ who he is, Patton. He used to literally look like a _monster_. »

Then, he retracted it immediately.

« I don’t want to hear any of that! » Patton’s voice slipped, a bit higher than intended, his eyes growing wide with realization, but Virgil didn’t see that as silence fell over the room.

He quietly apologized. « I just … I want to trust Thomas. »

Virgil breathed out deeply. _You’re going to end up hurting yourself._

« I want to, too, but- »

« Roman, » Logan was there, too? He had just recently joined, not much longer after Virgil’s … little incident.

« Virgil seems like a good person. »

« Yes. » Patton agreed softly. « The poor boy looks too scared to even talk, too. » he added with a sad tone in his voice.

Virgil knew Patton had tried to befriend him ever since he had started working with the high priest.

He sighed and looked at his hands. Sometimes, distinguishing reality from mendacity was a matter of a little detail.

Sometimes, Virgil wasn’t even sure what had happened in his life and what were mere creations completed in his mind. What one would have been sure of, though, was that he was going to be scarred for an awfully prolonged time.

He had his back against the wall, thoughts going back to his horrible sleep.

Oh, how it _stung_.

Why did it have to be Roman? Why couldn’t it have been a stranger like in everybody else’s dreams? No, he was cursed to live his capturing over and over again, but with the worst possible outcomes played in front of his eyes that didn’t really ever happen.

But most of all, why did it have to _still_ hurt so much?

« Are you lost? »

Virgil was an inch close to jump right out of his skin. Thomas himself had appeared almost glowing in the dark right behind him in his _almighty_ godly appearance, now peeking at the scene in the room.

« Oh, » he emitted, thoughtfully, as the conversation started making sense to him.

« Don’t worry. Just don’t break the rules and play nice. I’m sure you will all get along, eventually. »

Keeping up the façade could have been hard if his memories didn’t make him _terrified_ at that moment. « I hope so. »

Thomas smiled warmly at him. « Go back to sleep, Virgil. »

Almost automatically, that he did.

* * *

Weeks had passed. Maybe months. Maybe more. Time isn’t real when you don’t keep track of it.

Thus, Roman was confused.

No, he wasn’t confused by the concept of time itself, but how its action affected your own senses.

For instance, relationships.

The passage of time permitted one to develop their relations with others. Even for the better!

That was what confused Roman.

He had been hostile to Virgil since he joined, sure, but it was _time_ that made things different and _strange_.

Because it made him tolerate Virgil more with every interaction, it made his chest feel lighter when he learnt new things about him. It made him grow so accustomed to the boy that, at times, Roman himself was the one to seek him out.

Yet …

« I feel like there’s something wrong. » he had told Patton one day, when he looked for the best person’s opinion he could find on the subject of feelings.

« With? » Patton tilted his head to the side, encouraging him to elaborate.

« Myself? » Roman shrugged slowly, then he pursed his lips. « I feel like a hypocrite. »

« Why would that be? » Patton’s tone clearly stated a subtle “I assure you you’re not.” « Did you have an argument with someone? »

The knight made a face. « I’ve had too many. »

The other made him sit down on a stony surface within the frontal garden.

« It’s … Virgil. I- Well, it’s weird. We’re getting along now, despite everything that’s happened. All I’ve said. » he sighed and brushed his face for a moment. « It doesn’t feel right on my account. »

« Well, if you feel bad about it, why don’t you simply apologize to him? That’ll lift some weight off of you. » Patton offered, while his feet tickled the radiant flowers on the grass.

« Maybe … » Roman still didn’t feel entirely convinced, as if some limit were preventing him from opening up completely.

« Tell him how you feel. I’m sure he’ll understand. »

The knight stifled a laugh. « I don’t even want to admit to myself how I feel. » his voice had gotten softer, the same way the gentle breeze kissed his cheeks.

Patton turned to him, he waited because he _knew_ there was something more to that. When his friend spoke again, he fought a wide smile to spread across his face.

« … About him. » Roman finally finished, looking at the ground as though he were to stare at the sunset in the distance after a victorious journey. Eyes narrowed and clouded memories.

« You don’t have to tell my anything you don’t want to. » Patton watched as the other nodded slightly. « Just know that he’d love to hear what you have to say. »

That was when Roman had enough willpower to get up. « Right. Thank you. » he didn’t look away from the building, a buzzing feeling in his chest.

« Ro- »

« Yes? »

Patton blinked a couple of times. Was that how anxiety looked like on other people?

« You can find him in the library. » he informed, subtly amused.

A “thank you” was heard as Roman practically sprinted towards the construction; Patton let out the laughter he had been holding.

Roman was surely one of the bravest knights he had ever met, but he still did manage to be that endearing when it came to being sentimental.

« Goodness gracious. » he shook his head and went back to his task.

* * *

And the library was where Virgil was, lost in thought as his eyes skittered over yellowish pages of ancient manuscripts, different alphabets tried to confuse his mind. 

His sensed heightened as he heard quick steps growing closer; he shut the book he was holding between one of his fingers and turned to the entrance, almost expectant.

When Roman appeared, he had to kill the profound joy that threatened to manifest on his face.

« Hey. »

« Hello. »

The knight approached him, unsure of how to act. Virgil noticed he was far more nervous than how nonchalant he acted any other day.

« Am I bothering you, or …? » 

Virgil pointed to his book. « I was merely reading. »

« Oh- sorry, may I visit another- » 

« Roman, » he almost snorted. « It’s just poetry. »

Roman’s face lit up in an instant. « I _love_ poetry! » he stepped closer, so that he could see the cover of the book. 

« Archaic Greek lyric. » Virgil clarified, showing a page full of poets’ names; the knight, curse his ignorance on the matter, had never heard any of them.

As he tried to implement some names in his mind, Virgil closed the book again.

« What are you here for? »

_Okay then. Let’s do this._

« I realized I never really went back on all my wrongdoings to you. » he admitted. « So I wanted to apologize for all the things I’ve said in the past. I am truly _deeply_ sorry. »

« It’s alright, just like you said: they’re in the past. » Virgil’s expression actually hinted at gratefulness.

« Please, you must accept it or it won’t stop eating at me. »

He really had to stop himself from tackling him in a tight hug.

« Yes, okay. I forgive you, Roman. » Virgil’s eyes glanced at him with a soft gaze. 

Roman responded with a sweet smile. « Thank you. » then, when the silence felt enough for both of them, unable to say anything more despite everything they felt for each other, his interest went back to the book. 

« So, you like ancient stuff? » 

« It would be ironic for me to learn ancient Greek and then despise all the literature behind it. »

« Wait, what? » Roman’s pitch got higher with shock. « You _learnt_ it? » 

« It’s fundamental to the kind of education I wanted to get. » Virgil shrugged, opening the collection once again to avoid the other’s stare. 

Until he felt Roman’s hands place on his arm and pulling him towards the stained glass window. 

« Read for me? » the hopeful veil on the knight’s face was almost impossible to ignore and not satisfy. 

The boy looked down again, his fingertips going over the verses; when he read the original version, it all sounded like a kind chanting that seemed to make actual sense if Roman had only known what it meant. Virgil’s magnificent voice was able to let him understand the themes of the poem through the honey-like melody the metric allowed. 

« This is Sappho. The 31st fragment. » Virgil still didn’t look up. 

« What does it say? » 

« He seems like the gods’ equal, that man, whoever he is, who takes his seat so close across from you- » a pair of hands went over his, pushing the book down so Virgil wasn’t able to check it.

Roman’s face seemed to say _“I know you can do it.”_ but actually meant _“I saw your eyes didn’t move while reading, you know it by heart.”_

And also a subtle _“I’d like to dream you’re dedicating this to me.”_

«A- and listens raptly to your lilting voice, » Virgil stammered at first, trying not to get mesmerized by Roman gazing directly into his eyes, almost as though he were expecting something out of him. 

« And lovely laughter, which, as it wafts by, sets the heart in my ribcage fluttering. » he felt the unanimity between the poem and himself. « As soon as I glance at you a moment, » silence lingered in function of the other hemistich. « I can’t say a thing, and my tongue stiffens into silence. »

The warmth of Roman’s skin was still surrounding his hands. « Thin flames underneath my skin prickle and spark, a rush of blood booms in my ears, » Virgil’s were slightly ringing. « and then my eyes go dark, and sweat pours coldly over me, and all my body shakes, suddenly sallower than summer grass. »

The last verse was Virgil’s favorite, he savored every syllable on his tongue. « And death, I fear and feel, is very near. »

Bewildered by the boy’s knowledge, Roman was almost unable to understand he had finished.

Virgil, obviously panicking upon realizing what he had just recited and how long he’d been daydreaming of dedicating it to the other, tried to rely on his education to fill the silence.

He looked down. « This- Uhm, this was also written similarly in Latin by Catu- »

« In vain I have struggled. » Roman barged in, he both looked like he _needed_ to get the words out and like he was still _looking_ for said words.

« It will not do. My feelings will not be repressed. » he was gripping so tightly at Virgil’s hands that the book fell between their feet, with a thump none of them actually cared about hearing. 

Almost automatically, he intertwined their fingers. « You must allow me to tell you, » a sensation of deep adrenaline took over his chest and his utmost impulsive tendencies pushed him to reveal his deepest sentiments. 

« How ardently I admire, » and when push comes to shove, you can’t ignore the violent crashing of your heart against your chest. Roman’s hands traveled up to Virgil’s cheeks.

« And love you. » the shove became the dive into the abyss and the wish became reality when Roman kissed Virgil’s lips soft and longingly, telling him everything poetic and literary words couldn’t.

As they parted, Virgil fought the instinct to surge forward again; he slowly opened his eyes, blinking at the harsh light coming from the stained glass next to them.

« Pride and Prejudice? » he asked, dumbfounded by what had just happened.

Roman smiled and started stepping away. « Had a sudden thought and needed to let it out. » he took Virgil’s hand. « I will gladly speak with you about literature again, when my knightly duties won’t come in between our time together. » he then brought it to his lips. « Until then, » and placed a kiss on his knuckles.

As Roman walked away, gifting him one last love-infused smile, Virgil was sure of one thing. 

That one nightmare he had a long while back actually _did_ predict the future: Roman was going to be the death of him, after all.

**Author's Note:**

> Well hi there, I hope you were satisfied!  
> If you want to check the fanart I got inspired by for the nightmare bit, you can find it here: https://pistachiolan.tumblr.com/post/189089629499/ts-cult-au-virgil-capture-how-about-some-a-n-g-s
> 
> Sweet readers, what more can I say: I have like 30 wips in mind and one of them is a very big Logicality project I want to start working on (the same size as To tend thee is my care basically), be on the lookout. In the meantime I'll probably be posting only oneshots or short two-part fics, so stay tuned for those!  
> Thank you to all those who will leave comments, kudos and bookmarks, y'all are special


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